Combined picture and sound recording apparatus



June 8, 1937. l.. J. ANDERSON 2,083,355

COMBINED PICTUE AND SOUND RECORDING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 5l, 1934 xINI/ENTOR-- r Leyla' cademoro,

Patented June 8, 1937 PATENT OFFICE COMBINED PICTURE AND SOUND RECORD--ING APPARATUS Leslie J. Anderson,

Westmont, N.- J., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, acorporation of Delaware Application January 31, 1934, Serial No. 709,095

2 Claims. (Cl. 88-16.2)/

This invention relates to combined picture and sound recordingapparatus, and more particularly to means, theoperator to simultaneouslyand conveniently both observe the field of action and determine thecharacter of the sound being recorded.

The primary object of my invention is to provide combined action andsound indicating means in a manner such that one person is enabled tosimultaneously operate the camera which records the action and controlthe modulation of the accompanying sound.

Another object of my invention is to provide a single, compact unit ofthis character which can easily be incorporated in a combined sound"-and`picture recording .camera as an integral part thereof.

Still another'object of my invention vis to so provide, in a combinedpicture and sound recorder, indicating means for indicating both thefield of view and some predetermined characteristic of the sound beingrecorded that the operator will be free to simultaneously devote hisundivided attention to both the picture recording act and the' soundrecording act with maximum emciency.

A further object of my invention isvto provide, in combined picture andsound recording apparatus, indicating means of the character set forthwhich is simple in construction, economical in 30 cost, and efhcient inoperation.l

In accordance with one modification of my iny vention I combine with theusual view nder of a picture camera a scaleor the like indicative ofsome characteristic of the sound being recorded 35 to accompany apicture.

A traveling element, such as a meter needle, a movable light beam, etc.,may then be made to move across the scale in accordance with theparticular characteristic for which the scale is designed, and theoperator may 40 view this traveling element as he looks through 45particularity in the appended claims.

the view finder to determine the eld oi.y action for the picture.

The novel features which I consider characteristic of my invention areset forth with However, the invention itself; together with additionalobjects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from thefollowing description of several specic embodiments, when taken inconnection 50 with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is adiagrammatic view generally illustrating the features of my invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a view nder `barrel with my inventionapplied thereto in the manner illustrated by Figure 1,

in such apparatus, for enablingI l line of sight of the operator.

Figure -3 is a central sectional view of a view inder barrel with amodied form of indicator applied thereto, and

Figure 4 is a perspective View of a camera diagrammatically illustratinga further modication. i

Referring to the drawing, wherein similar reference numerals indicatecorresponding parts throughout,` there is shown, in Figure 1, aviewiinder I having a scale 2 thereon designating some' predeterminedcharacteristic of sound, for example volume. Sound impressed on amicrophone 3 to accompany the action or view delineated by the view nderI sets up pulsating currents which are fed to an amplier 4 the output ofwhich actuates a galvanometer mirrorV 5 for imparting a wavy motion to abeam of light from a suitable source. A portion of the output 'current1from the amplifier 4 may be rectied by a rectifier 6 for energizing amotor 1 which actuates a needle A8 and moves it across the scale? i. Bylooking through the View finder I, an operator can, therefore,simultaneously ascertain the action which is being recorded at theaction recording station of the camera and the volume, or otherpredetermined characteristic, of the sound being recorded at the soundrecording station of the camera to accompany the action.

The device of Figure 1 may beapplied to a combined picture and soundrecording camera in the manner illustrated in Figure 2. The numeral il!)designates rthe usual view finder barrel supplied with an eye-piece IIand housing a view nder I2. As in the case of Figure 1, the view iinderI2 has a seriesfof markings, or a scale I3, thereon `indicative of thelevelof the sound which is recorded, and the needle 8 moves across thescale I3 under the iniluence of the motorv 1. An operator .looking intothe eye-piece I I can simultaneously see both the ield embraced bythe'view nder I2 and the position of the needle l on the scale I3.

In Figure 3, I have shown a modified form of my invention in which asource of illumination,

such as a neon lamp, is used as a visible indicating means forindicating the lcondition o f the sound. '"I'he lamp I5 i's inserted inthe barrel .\I a distance insumcient to substantially obstruct the nderI2, although clearly in the 'I'he ampliier I may supply current to asuitablel control device, such as a illter, gain control, or the like I6for energizing the lamp .I only when the sound impressed .upon themicrophone 3l has the particular characteristic for which the control I6is set. Looking through the eye-piece li, then, the operator not onlysees the scene embraced by the nder I2, but he also sees when the lampl5 glows. To prevent the glow of the lamp from 5 being too bright andthus annoying to the eye, an apertured light mask il Ymay be placed infront of the lamp I5. If desired, the control i|316 nay be made anintegral part oi' the ampli- Figure 4 illustrates my invention appliedto a combined sound and picture recorder in which the vibrating mirroris actuated mechanically in stead of electrically, although it could,obviously, be actuated electrically as well. The camera is generallydesignated by the numeral 2U and includes both an action recordingstation and a picture recording station (not shown). The cam era alsohouses a light source 2i the filament of which is focused by a lens 22on a mechani 20 cally actuated lens mirror 25, the mirror 25 serving tofocus the aperture 2lb on a suitable optie cal system (not shown) whichdirects the recording light beam R onto the film (also not shown) at thesound recording station. A second light beam I, which serves as an anindicating beam, passes through the apertures 23a and 2Ia, the latter ofwhich is vfocused by the lens mirror 25 on a screen 3i in the viewfinder barrel l0, the beam I being reflected by the mirror 25 in ahorizontal path to a reflector 21, and thence in a horizontal path to aprism 29 which bends it at right angles and directs it, again in ahorizontal path, to a second prism 3l. The prism 30 then bends the lightbeam I upwardly in a vertical path onto the viewing screen 3i which isplaced adjacent the view nnder i2. Since the screen 3| occupies only asmall portion of the finder barrel I0, the image of the aperture 24a onthe screen Il may be conveniently viewed along with the scene revealedby the finder I2. The exact positionof the screen 3| in the barrel I0may, of course, be so selected as to be most suitable to the eye.

While I have shown and described certain speepesses cie embodiments ofmy invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that manymodifications thereofy are possible. For example, in the modification ofFigure 3,-two or more indicating lamps may be supplied, at least one ofwhich will become energized when the sound is of a predetermined minimumlevel and another when the sound is of a predetermined maximum level.This enables the operator to tell at once whether the signal currentsare too weak, too strong, or within the desired range. Many othermodifications will, no doubt, readily suggest themselves. My invention,therefore, is not to be limited except` insofar as is necessitated bythe prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1.1m combined picture and sound recording apparatus, an action recordingstation, a sound recording station, a view finder for delineating theeld of action recorded at said action re cording station, a scalelocated within the View finder and within the field of view of said Viewfinder and representative of a predetermined characteristic ci the soundrecorded at said sound recording station to accompany the action, atraveling element movable across said scale, and means for moving saidelement across said scale in accordance with the characteristicrepresented by said scale. y

2. In combined sound and picture recording apparatus, an actionrecording station, a sound recording station, a view nder fordelineating the field of action recorded at said action recordingstation, a scale located within the view finder housing andrepresentative of a predetermined characteristic of the sound recordedat said sound recording station to accompany the action, an indicatormovable across said scale, a motor for moving said indicator across saidscale, and means for energizing said motor in accordance with thecharacteristic indicated by said scale.

LESLIE J. ANDERSON.

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